precipitate

1 of 3

verb

pre·​cip·​i·​tate pri-ˈsi-pə-ˌtāt 

precipitated; precipitating

transitive verb

1

a

: to throw violently : hurl

the quandaries into which the release of nuclear energy has precipitated mankind

—A. B. Arons

b

: to throw down

2

: to bring about especially abruptly

precipitate a scandal that would end with his expulsion

—John Cheever

3

a

: to cause to separate from solution or suspension

b

: to cause (vapor) to condense and fall or deposit

intransitive verb

1

a

: to fall headlong

b

: to fall or come suddenly into some condition

2

: to move or act with violent or unwise speed

3

a

: to separate from solution or suspension

b

: to condense from a vapor and fall as rain or snow

precipitative

pri-ˈsi-pə-ˌtā-tiv 

adjective

precipitator

pri-ˈsi-pə-ˌtā-tər 

noun

precipitate

2 of 3

noun

pre·​cip·​i·​tate pri-ˈsi-pə-tət 

-ˌtāt

1

: a substance separated from a solution or suspension by chemical or physical change usually as an insoluble amorphous or crystalline solid

2

: a product, result, or outcome of some process or action

precipitate

3 of 3

adjective

pre·​cip·​i·​tate pri-ˈsi-pə-tət 

1

a

: falling, flowing, or rushing with steep descent

b

: precipitous, steep

2

: exhibiting violent or unwise speed

precipitately adverb

precipitateness noun

Did you know?

Many people, including usage commentators, are insistent about keeping the adjectives "precipitate" and "precipitous" distinct. "Precipitate," they say, means "headlong" or "impetuous"; "precipitous" means only "steep." And, indeed, "precipitate" is used mostly in the "headlong" sense, whereas "precipitous" usually means "steep." But one shouldn't be too hasty about insisting on the distinction. The truth is that "precipitate" and "precipitous" have had a tendency to overlap for centuries. Lexicographer Samuel Johnson, in his dictionary of 1755, defined "precipitate" as "steeply falling," "headlong," and "hasty," while "precipitous" was "headlong; steep," and "hasty." Noah Webster's 1828 dictionary included much the same definitions. The words' etymologies overlap as well. Both ultimately come from Latin praeceps, which means "headlong."

Synonyms

Verb

• pour
• rain
• storm

Noun

• aftereffect
• aftermath
• backwash
• child
• conclusion
• consequence
• corollary
• development
• effect
• fate
• fruit
• issue
• outcome
• outgrowth
• product
• result
• resultant
• sequel
• sequence
• upshot

Adjective

• cursory
• drive-by
• flying
• gadarene
• hasty
• headlong
• helter-skelter
• hurried
• overhasty
• pell-mell
• precipitous
• rash
• rushed

Choose the Right Synonym for precipitate

precipitate, headlong, abrupt, impetuous, sudden mean showing undue haste or unexpectedness.

precipitate stresses lack of due deliberation and implies prematureness of action.

the army's precipitate withdrawal

headlong stresses rashness and lack of forethought.

a headlong flight from arrest

abrupt stresses curtness and a lack of warning or ceremony.

an abrupt refusal

impetuous stresses extreme impatience or impulsiveness.

an impetuous lover proposing marriage

sudden stresses unexpectedness and sharpness or violence of action.

flew into a sudden rage

Examples of precipitate in a Sentence

Verb

When Achilles is informed by his mother, the sea-goddess Thetis, that vanquishing Hector on the battlefield will precipitate his own demise, he unhesitatingly opts for the gusto. —Mark Leyner, Time, 13 Nov. 2000

The vast room darkens. The videotape … begins on two identical screens set high above the nave. The soaring lyrics of LeeAnn Rimes's "How Do I Live (Without You)" precipitate a collective tension and welling, repressed tearfulness. —Jayne Anne Phillips, Harper's, November 1998

Her death precipitated a family crisis.

The budget problem was precipitated by many unexpected costs.

minerals that precipitate from seawater

Noun

Yet trained, and by nature inclined, to persevere through the stenches, messes, explosions and disasters of a laboratory, he fixed his gaze upon an unlikely precipitate: human resilience, a sort of radioactive trace element. —Richard Eder, New York Times Book Review, 16 June 2002

the exodus from the cities was an unexpected precipitate of the automobile, which effectively shrank distances

the chemist filtered out the precipitate from the solution

Adjective

The precipitate decline in support for Aristide has probably less to do with Haiti's political crisis than with the continuous and unrelenting economic battering: the Haitian gourde, which a year ago was trading at 27 to the dollar, by late February was down to 55 to the dollar. —Peter Dailey, New York Review of Books, 27 Mar. 2002

Almost at once I began to remember why drive-ins went into such a precipitate decline. To begin with, it is not remotely comfortable to sit in a car to watch a movie. —Bill Bryson, I'm a Stranger Here Myself, 1999

Assuming that the offering goes ahead—and only a precipitate slide in the stock market will stop it—a big slice of Wall Street history will disappear. —John Cassidy, New Yorker, 8 Mar. 1999

the army's precipitate withdrawal from the field of battle

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

This may not exactly precipitate some tender moment where Halsey will bring her family out on stage for a bow, but the sheer honesty of the feelings about aging and mortality being expressed here is bracing — and palatable for being so tenderly expressed. —Chris Willman, Variety, 25 Oct. 2024

As with much of this season of Love Is Blind, whatever directly precipitated the end of Maramses (Ramrissa?) appeared to happen off-screen. —Laura Bradley, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2024

Noun

As the water increases in temperature, CaCO3 undergoes a chemical reaction and precipitates out of the water, forming incrustants, or little crystals. —Alyssa Hui, Verywell Health, 14 Mar. 2024

Gadgil and his students have been exploring several methods to perform the actual arsenic removal, generally involving binding up the poison into a precipitate that can be filtered. —Evan Ackerman, IEEE Spectrum, 28 Feb. 2015

Adjective

To make sure that in condensing everything, there is nothing forced or too precipitate, no unwieldly jumps. —John Hopewell, Variety, 3 Apr. 2024

An additional factor that has been increasingly in the mix is that old and deteriorating dam infrastructure can fail amidst excessive rainfall events and precipitate catastrophic flooding. —Sarah Raza, BostonGlobe.com, 12 Sep. 2023

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Adjective

Latin praecipitatus, past participle of praecipitare, from praecipit-, praeceps — see precipice

Noun

New Latin praecipitatum, from Latin, neuter of praecipitatus — see precipitate entry 1

First Known Use

Verb

1528, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Noun

1594, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1615, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

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Kids Definition

precipitate

1 of 3 verb

pre·​cip·​i·​tate pri-ˈsip-ə-ˌtāt 

precipitated; precipitating

1

a

: to throw violently : hurl

b

: to fall headlong

2

: to bring about suddenly

an event that precipitated war

3

a

: to separate or cause to separate from solution or suspension

b

: to change from a vapor to a liquid or solid and fall as rain or snow

precipitator

-ˌtāt-ər 

noun

precipitate

2 of 3 noun

pre·​cip·​i·​tate pri-ˈsip-ət-ət 

-ə-ˌtāt

: a usually solid substance separated from a solution or suspension by chemical or physical change

precipitate

3 of 3 adjective

pre·​cip·​i·​tate pri-ˈsip-ət-ət 

: hasty sense 2

a precipitate attack

precipitately adverb

Medical Definition

precipitate

1 of 2 verb

pre·​cip·​i·​tate pri-ˈsip-ə-ˌtāt 

precipitated; precipitating

transitive verb

1

: to bring about especially abruptly

2

a

: to cause to separate from solution or suspension

b

: to cause (vapor) to condense and fall or deposit

intransitive verb

1

: to fall or come suddenly into some condition

2

: to separate from solution or suspension

precipitate

2 of 2 noun

pre·​cip·​i·​tate pri-ˈsip-ət-ət, -ə-ˌtāt 

: a substance separated from a solution or suspension by chemical or physical change usually as an insoluble amorphous or crystalline solid